Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation PROS Plan Draft - Color Version

Description

Published by City of Ann Arbor. Printed in Color and Bound.

The PROS Plan provides an overview of the Ann Arbor park system, including the physical description of the City, administrative structure and budget information, and an inventory of parks and programs provided both by Parks and Recreation and by the Ann Arbor Public Schools Community Education and Recreation program. It also describes goals and objectives for future planning guided by input gathered through an extensive public process.

The Parks and Recreation Open Space Plan (PROS) is the City's vision for parks and recreation in Ann Arbor. The PROS Plan provides an inventory of existing parks and facilities, describes the relationship between the parks and recreation system and surrounding municipalities and recreation providers, identifies parks and recreation needs and deficiencies, and proposes major capital park projects for existing and new parks.

The 2011-2015 PROS Plan is intended to facilitate discussion and evaluation of major issues, problems and potentials, the setting of priorities for the next five years, and the identification of goals and objectives that reach further into the future. The scope of the plan is to reflect tradition; to provide balance of parks, facilities and programs; to respond to the needs of today; and to set a direction for the future. It also establishes background information while delineating system needs that may qualify for state and federal grant funding. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (MDNRE) requires all municipalities applying for recreation grants to have a current plan on file with the MDNRE and to update that plan every five years. This planning effort is directed towards the formal adoption of an updated PROS Plan by the Park Advisory Commission, the City Planning Commission, and the Ann Arbor City Council.

Ann Arbor has a long history of planning for parks, recreation, and open space, with plans in 1920, 1939, 1952, 1962, 1978, 1981, 1988, 1994, 2000 and 2006. Many factors necessitate the updating of the old plan, including the City's desire to retain the parks, open space, and recreational amenities that continue to attract people to Ann Arbor.